Synchronization Algorithms for Positioning with OFDM Communications Signals

This paper covers positioning techniques for cellular networks using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communications signals. These methods are based on symbol-timing synchronization algorithms to find the starting point for the underlying OFDM symbols of the incident signals. Commonly used approaches are, e.g., the Schmidl-Cox algorithm and the Minn algorithm. These algorithms are investigated w.r.t. their positioning capabilities. Furthermore, they are extended to improve the performance in multipath environments and to achieve a sufficient accuracy with weak signals from neighboring out-of-cell base stations.